Assisted suicides - a word of caution . . .

With the attention given to Terry Pratchett - who I have always admired for his innovative, humorous, and extremely clever writing - with his, rather one-sided, views on assisted suicide, aired in a programme about this subject by the BBC, there is now much debate among the highways and byways of the internet, with people on both sides giving emphasis to their own personal beliefs and standing on the subject.


Assisted suicide is one of those murky areas where, if I put myself in the position of those who have been hurting too long, and who desperately want the respite of oblivion, then I can understand their viewpoint, and wouldn't dream of dictating to them what they should, or shouldn't, do with their lives.


But, on the other hand, being a committed Christian, I believe in the sanctity of life and couldn't, in all honesty, agree to assisted suicide, and especially not in my own case.

There have been times over the last few years when the pain I suffer has been so bad that I've wanted, and even begged for, the oblivion possible through the medication I am prescribed but, not once, have I wished for that oblivion to be a permanent thing. Despite a continuously painful life, it is still far too precious a commodity for me to think, even for a second, of wanting it over and done with!


What seriously worries me about all these moves towards making assisted suicide legal in this country, is that the possibilities of its use could echo something that happened in the past - namely the actions of the Nazi party before the Second World War.


With all the emphasis given to people's 'usefulness' in today's society, and the Government and Media constantly portraying anyone on long-term sickness and disability benefits as 'scroungers', there is beginning to be a shift in society's thinking that is truly worrying to me. 


If anyone is unable to hold down a paying job, whether through long-term illness, or disability, how long will it be before those with the power to decide these things, turn to the same decisions made in Germany towards the sick, disabled, poor, aged, or needy?


I came across a passage, quoted online, in the comments section of Crippen's Blog, that made me think seriously about these matters: 
in the aftermath of the war, Leo Alexander, a psychiatrist who gave evidence at Nuremberg in 1949 said that, ‘its beginnings at first were merely a subtle shift in emphasis in the basic attitude of the physicians. It started with the attitude, basic in the euthanasia movement that there is such a thing as a life not worthy to be lived. This attitude in its early stages concerned itself merely with the severely and chronically sick, identified as 'useless eaters'. Gradually the sphere of those to be included in this category was enlarged to encompass the socially unproductive, the ideologically unwanted, the racially unwanted, and finally all non-Germans. The Nazi holocaust began in 1939 with the killing of 6,000 disabled children and 70,000 patients in geriatric and psychiatric institutions.'


Unfortunately 'Lest we forget' seems to have been forgotten in the greedy rush of 'progress' and the desire to make as much money as possible, no matter who has to be trodden on in the rush - and it's those with the least political clout, such as the ill and disabled, who seem to be the first stepping stones possible in a move I believe to be dangerously close to the ethos that saw so many 'unproductive' people losing their lives.


In the early hours of the morning, when laying in bed,and trying desperately not to cry once again from pain, these thoughts worry me terribly. They make my life a continuous struggle for the positive thinking I need to keep going, no matter what life throws at me. With each report of yet another vulnerable person suffering hatred and abuse from the public, purely because of the illness or disability they suffer with, I feel the fear of the past catching up with us once again, and wonder when our society will wake up to what is happening, and what could so easily happen if assisted suicide is made a legal reality.


The sign of a truly great society, is in the care given to those who, through no fault of their own, have become vulnerable through age, illness, accident or birth, but all I see with our society now, is how money can be saved by closing down hospitals and care homes, in cutting funding for care in the community, and the whole-scale blame for the debt our country faces, caused through the greed of a few bankers, and the political greed of every party who gained control of our country's purse-strings, being put firmly on the shoulders of the politically expedient vulnerable of our communities.


I pray to God each day that the people of this country wake up to what is truly happening each and every day now, and that they have the moral courage to say 'Hold! Enough!' before it is too late . . . .